


Expansion

by annaswOrld



Series: The Ghost Quartet [4]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: Anorexia, Asexual Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Bisexual Bobby | Trevor Wilson, Bisexual Flynn (Julie and The Phantoms), Bisexual Julie Molina, Bisexual Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby is Not Trevor Wilson, Bobby | Trevor Wilson Defense Squad, Bobby | Trevor Wilson Dies, Bulimia, Canonical Character Death, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Everyone is Dead, F/F, Gay Alex Mercer (Julie and The Phantoms), Good Person Bobby | Trevor Wilson, Jealous Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), M/M, Pansexual Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Past Alex Mercer/Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Past Smut, Physical Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Depression, Self-Harm, Willie Backstory (Julie and The Phantoms), slight mentions of smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 01:35:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30031044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annaswOrld/pseuds/annaswOrld
Summary: Each boy tries to move on with their afterlife, battling their own problems and situations.//Bobby continues overcoming his mind with the help of primarily Reggie.Alex meets Willie and falls head over heels.Luke gets jealous of the lack of attention and affection from Alex.Willie idolizes Caleb, even when he shouldn’t.MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING, CHECK NOTES!
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Bobby | Trevor Wilson/Reggie Peters, Caleb Covington & Willie
Series: The Ghost Quartet [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2177823
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





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**Author's Note:**

> ~This entire story has constant references to eating disorders, anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, PTSD, abusive parents, and negligent guardians! Although nothing goes into extreme detail graphics-wise, if any of this could or would be a trigger, please do not read!~  
> Hello readers!  
> I'd just like to start off by making a disclaimer. I can't write or spell very well *at all*, I know these things, I am working on it. Grammar and writing are some of my worst abilities but I genuinely enjoy it, so here I am! I've never posted anything on here before so please excuse the possibly inaccurate tags or labels that may seem more extreme than necessary. I believe mental health is extremely important and I don't want to under do-it and put out a larger risk than I need to. I'm still learning the ropes of this website, so I do ask for your patience. More notes to come at the end, Happy reading!

LUKE’S POV

1995, HOLLYWOOD

I was laid out next to Alex on the pullout, waiting for Bobbert and Regbert to return from their evening date. I was playing with his rings, twisting them around- needing something to occupy my bored mind. He had requested we take some time off from rehearsing or from writing lyrics until the others got back to spend quality time together. The only thing was, we weren’t doing anything right now. Normally, this would be no issue, today, however, it is. I’m pumping with energy and no way to let it out without disturbing him.   
Despite loving his typical playful and sarcastic energy, I don’t have the mental strength to deal with it in this current time. I missed my mom, bad. There were no words to express how much I just wanted to go home, curl up in her lap on the couch, and go back to how things used to be. But I couldn’t. Not until I’ve proved myself to her and the band that we could do it, and that we will. That it wasn’t just some stupid dream not worth chasing. This was what I was meant to do, what my best friends and I were meant to do. Yet for some odd reason, she couldn’t comprehend that. I longed so desperately for her caring touch and loving support again. Life had been so much easier when I was a child, what happened to the good ‘ole days? Now all she cared about was college and finding a stable job for my career, such as a doctor.  
I continued to mess around with his rings before I got an evil, but a bit less threatening idea. I leaned closer to him, gently kissing his cheek. He radiated embarrassed heat afterward, throwing an arm over my shoulders, holding me close with one hand, refusing to meet my eyes. He had a smitten look across his face as he leaned down and kissed the top of my head. Focusing his visual attention back to the large boxed screen before them, he shifted around, continuing to ignore my tiny advances for attention. I was feeling particularly needy today, wanting cuddles and kisses since we laid down. Another 10 minutes passed until I could hardly take the lack of physical affection anymore. I sat up, making his arm drop behind me. He finally looked up at me, confused. With a devious smile, I jumped down on him lightly, snuggling upon his chest. He let out a heavy breath at the new weight addition, adjusting again to better hold me. Laying front to front felt much better than our previous position but it still lacked something. I placed my hands down beside him, leaning my chest up- blocking his view. He gave me a look until I leaned back down, connecting our lips for the first time that day. Hmm, much better. He laughed, kissing me back and re-wrapping his arms around my waist so I wouldn’t fall off of him. This in itself was one of my favorite things to do, rivaling playing music and performing even. The issue lied in the mere fact that Alex hated PDA, even in front of our best friends, which meant upon their return, I would have to go back to just cuddling, or possibly even ring playing if I was lucky enough.   
After about 45 minutes of existing in pure happy bliss with Alex, there were two knocks on the garage doors, letting us know the boys were about to enter. 15 seconds later, in walked Reggie, with a piggy-backed Bobby on his back- asleep. I laughed quietly, getting off of Alex’s chest and making my way over to the pair, Alex following close behind me. We went to carefully remove the skinny boy off of Reginald’s back, expecting him to weigh much more than he did. I could probably move him on my own, which was odd because I certainly struggled to move the other two a few feet, let alone lift and carry them off of another person across the room. We set him down on the top half of the bed horizontally so the three of us could still talk until he woke up. I had assumed his insomnia was getting worse, Reggie guessing the same thing, assuming that was why he passed out during the last part of their date.   
“Yeah, I don’t know what happened. Everything was fine and then we started playing ski-ball and he bent down to pick up the ball from the return, and he, I guess, got too light-headed and passed out in my arms. Needless to say, we didn’t get our prize, but hey, there’s always next time, right?”  
“Hmm, wonder why.”

BOBBY’S POV

2020, HOLLYWOOD

We were walking back from the strange pizza event with the girls, the pit of dread ever-growing in the pit of my stomach. Deciding not to waste any food, they boxed up the leftovers, including Reggie’s cut-up piece for me, and brought them home with us. I knew I would eventually have to either attempt to consume this or something else, possibly worse of my friend’s choosing. Trying to be understanding on their perspective of my erm, problem, I tried not to say too much to them when they deemed themselves my new personal care-givers, but it was a tad irritating that they wouldn’t just let me be. It’s for the best, I know, but that doesn’t make it much easier when all I want to do is be light, and pretty, and skinny, and not stuffed full with fattening calories. It was still day one working with them like this, and I was struggling. Struggling badly. Tough-love, I believe it’s called, and boy is it tough.   
The girl’s laughter rang loudly through the empty night, making me just want to cover my ears and go to sleep. My headache was back and I was steadily becoming cranky once again. Alex had theorized that it was because my body wasn’t receiving any fuel, explaining that the lack of intake nutrients was most likely the cause of my pounding head and stabbing stomach aches. If this is what it took to be beautifully thin, then so be it. Reggie had been reminding me much more throughout the day that he loved me and that to him I’m “perfect” and “too good for him” when those statements are simply a part of his delusion. Just as I had made progress to becoming eligible for possible worthiness, he decided he wanted to test me, they all did. I failed as I could never say no to him, even when it will only hurt me in the long run. Not only would I inevitably lose him and possibly the band, but I’d also lose all efforts and progress made to better myself physically. It was a test I was made to fail. There’s no possible way to be as ugly as I am and have what I do, not without some type of catch waiting for me on the other side. Wherever that was, since as ghosts, nothing has yet happened to us besides the Molinas and this Flynn chick. She was pushier than the old school counselor we had that insisted I needed things like “therapy” or “professional help” even when I didn’t.  
Arriving at the house, another pang of anxiety hit my chest. I gripped Reggie’s hand tighter, physically pleading for a safe escape. None came, rather a tight squeeze and a feathered kiss to my forehead. He gave me a sad smile before tugging me into the hell that was now a full and loud studio. I noticed the girls didn’t leave yet, and despite my headache from their noise level, I was grateful. Maybe they would stay long enough that my dinner process would slip from the boys’ minds and I could be spared just this once.  
Everyone began to sit around in a circle on the empty spot on the floor, laughing. Reggie checked the clock, frowning. He tried to discreetly slip the wrapped-up piece of butchered pizza, a water bottle, and a pack of regular crackers into his pockets. He tapped up and down his pockets, making sure everything was secure.   
“Hey guys, Bobbert and I will be back in a bit.”  
“Do you- do you want us there?”  
Reggie looked down at me,  
“No, it’s okay. You guys hang out here. I’ll-It’ll be okay.”  
Luke and Alex gave us a knowing look, a pitiful smile from Alex assisted by the encouraging grin from Luke made my stomach rotate faster in their summer-saults. Ignoring Flynn’s annoyed eye roll and Julie’s stare at his bulging sweater pockets, he smiled at them- his grin almost rivaling Luke’s. He slipped his hand into mine in front of all of them, causing me to blush and he led the way for us to go outside. We didn’t walk too far because my legs were already cramping horribly from the previous adventure. I knew neither of us wanted to be heard. We sat down under a tree, me leaning against it, letting my eyes slip shut.   
“No baby, not nap time. Wait ‘till we get home, ‘kay?” I groaned,  
“Sweepy now dou’” I mumbled, running my sleeves and hands over my face, stopping at my mouth to cover it.   
“Here,” he said, pulling out the pizza-wrapped napkin, holding a small piece up where I could easily reach it. I gave him my best-begging eyes. He shut his own after realizing what I was doing.   
“That’s cheating!”  
“No, doing that is cheating.” I sighed.  
“Common, love, please.”  
“But-. I don’t want to be fat. Please, Reg. I know you don’t want an ugly, fat, whale of a boyfriend, and I know the guys don’t want one for a bandmate. Please, just let me at least try to be good enough for you. This goes against that. Reg, baby, please!” I was full-on begging him. I gained so much weight after this morning. Why can’t I just catch a break? He won’t love me the same if I do if he even still loves me at all. I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t, it’s hard to want or love damaged goods.   
“My beautiful boy,” he started, “When will you finally understand that I love you. I love you for you, not your body. Baby, you’re the furthest thing from fat and ugly and whale-like that there is. You’re so skinny that it scares me. I just want you to be healthy, love. And you’re so beautiful already now, but I know that you’ll be just as if not somehow more when you’re more healthy and happy. I’ll spend the rest of my afterlife proving it to you if I need to.” He moved his hand up to my face, wiping away some shed tears. He stared so lovingly into my eyes, that I almost believed him wholeheartedly. He leaned forward, meeting me a bit in the middle, pressing his lips kindly against mine. A soft hand rubbed on my arm, the other one continuously caressing my face. I brought my own up, wrapping them around his neck pulling him onto me. He moved his hand from my forearm to the ground to stabilize himself. His kisses became more firm, more dominating. I felt something harden on my thigh, causing me to let out a soft moan. I didn’t get as physically aroused as I expected, especially as my mind was slowly losing itself to his control. We hadn’t done much since I started becoming more self-conscious about myself, and when we did, it was lights off, my shirt on, and me staying on my back under a sheet. I didn’t want him to see me so hideous with nothing to try to conceal my shame. I whined as he pulled away, breathless.   
“As much as I adore you like this, we came out here for you to eat food, not me.” He said with a playful smirk, intertwining our fingers at my chest. I blushed, avoiding his gaze. He pulled my head back in his direction, giving me one last kiss before replacing his lips with a small bite of pizza. He looked at me expectantly and I gave him sad eyes. He gave me a stern semi-glare and I slightly parted my lips, giving in. He smiled victoriously, popping the tiny piece into my mouth before doing the same to his own. I chewed on it for a minute or two before swallowing. He brought the now opened water bottle up my mouth, letting me take a small sip from it. After waiting for another minute or two, the process repeated and repeated until about 3 more bits were gone on my behalf.   
It was so hard, so incredibly hard. This was something nobody ever talked about. How hard it was. Putting it inside my mouth was one thing, swallowing it another, but keeping it down was the hardest struggle of all. As I tried not to vomit, I felt the waterworks again trying to come on. Reggie shifted our position so I was now tucked under his arms, him kissing my head and whispering into my ear.  
“I’m so, so proud of you, baby. So damn proud.”  
The dam broke. I choked out, yet again, another sob. I sat crying, feeling so pathetic, so weak, for only God knows how long. My grandfather always told me that boys didn’t cry, when I was little and got hurt. That only girl could cry because they were fragile gifts that needed protection all the time. I later learned that to be called toxic masculinity when my history teacher had ranted about feminism and gender norms one Monday when everyone else had begun falling asleep.   
She was a strong lady, stronger than I, clearly would ever be. She also had a kind soul that couldn’t be rivaled by anyone that wasn’t Reggie. I had been a massive science nerd, never quite understanding social studies or history, but she always lent me an extra hand- giving me extra credit opportunities and small extensions on projects when I couldn’t get something in on time. I had my first public breakdown in her class one day after school, when I was staying after for tutoring. It had been a rough week at home, and Reggie had been talking to this new girl, my insomnia was getting worse and worse by the night. The final icebreaker though, the one thing that set me off, was getting another question wrong on a practice sheet. I had sat there, face in hands, full-blown sobbing for 20 minutes, dragging my nails so deeply into my arms that they bled. Just as I almost did now.   
The only difference was now, instead of a light hand rubbing my back, I had two-toned arms wrapped around me, preventing me from further hurting myself. My world was spinning and I needed so badly for it to stop. I tried to fight him to break the skin, to feel that calming release wash over me, but he was stronger than I was. And more stubborn. “Nope, we’re not gonna do that, honey.” I cried harder at his denial. He secured his arms tighter around me, my head resting on his chest. He hoisted me into his lap, cradling me like a child. God, I felt so weak. I shouldn’t need this. This shouldn’t feel this good, this safe. This much like home. I was becoming more and more dependent on him and I knew that wasn’t good. But I couldn’t help myself. Being with him, around him even, was like floating in a safe bubble in the sunshine, far away from any dangers or troubles. No intrusive thoughts daring to breach the borders of that bubble. Eventually, I began to calm down, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Soon, my eyes felt too heavy and I slipped into a deep slumber, all of my weight collapsing onto him.

REGGIE’S POV

I smiled down at the still and silent boy who had somehow again fallen asleep in my arms. It was almost as if it was the only way he could now, which, if I’m being totally honest was the same for me. Trying to sleep without him only led to restless nights and nightmares. I worried about him and what he was doing. Staying up late anxiously wondering if he was alright or asleep for once when we were younger. Now that we lived together, all I had to do was open my eyes and look at him. He looked closer to 15 in his sleep, the years dropping off him. People had always mistaken him for being much older than he was, assuming he was in his early-mid 20’s rather than 17.   
I gathered all the garbage into a small ball, forcing it into the now-empty plastic bottle. I shoved the trash into my pocket as quietly as I could, cringing at the loud crackling noise that accompanied it. Making sure I had everything, I gently set him down on the ground off of me, he stirred slightly, causing me to still. Once he settled back in, I slipped off my jacket and got up to crouch on my knees. Groaning at the discomfort, I moved him around so my jacket was now covering his chest and part of his back. I readied myself and then lifted him into the air bridal style. It had only been two occasions where he kept down the food, but I for some reason still wished for any weight change. He was so tiny, so light, so breakable. It felt like I was holding a newborn baby instead of a seventeen-year-old ghost. I stood upright and heard a small noise. My brain stopped working at the adorableness as he cuddled closer to me, gripping loosely on the material of my jacket.   
It wasn’t a far walk back to the garage, but I was honestly exhausted so I decided to poof us back inside. A blanket of silence covered the room as I entered. Luke and Alex gave a loving smile at us, the girls turning around seeming ever more confused than earlier. Luke held up a thumbs up, in the middle, and down, asking how it went. I gave him an open-mouthed smile. The boys got up from their circle and got the couch ready. The girls joined in, helping grab extra blankets and pillows from around the room. Once it was prepared, I laid him down in the little wad of fluff. Flynn and Julie both walked over and peered down at him. They both gasped in awe, cooing at his sleeping form.   
“He looks so cute!” Flynn whisper-shouted, “You’re telling me this is the same guy as the grumpy-angsty one from earlier? No way! He’s so cute!” I furrowed my brows at that. Alex quickly picked up on the tension, putting his arms on the girl’s shoulders, guiding them away from him. I sat down behind him, protectively wrapped my arms around him, biting my tongue. I didn’t want to fight with them, I hated fighting, so much. My parents always fought when I was alive and now I was hyper-sensitive to it, panicking anytime it was around me. When it came to Bobby, however, it was no question. If I needed to fight for him, I would. Lord knew how many he had gotten into for me- against my wishes, but still. I glared at her harshly until Alex decided to continue intervening.  
“Hey, uh, Flynn?”  
“Yes?”  
“Can you um,” his anxiety vibrated off of him. She was an intense girl, terrifying to stand up against. “Bobby’s not a grumpy guy, he’s just dealing with a lot right now and Reggie is extremely protective of him, reasonably so, and I don’t want anyone to start fighting, we’ll all just start crying and my point is-”  
“It’s okay Alex. Reggie,” she said turning to me, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”  
I continued to stare her down, easing up on the glare when she took another step back away from him. She and the others all found their way back to their spots on the floor. I hauled Bobby back into my lap, rocking back and forth, starting to hum “I’ll be there for You” from Bon Jovi to myself since he couldn’t hear me. The prolonged background noise led me to softly sing the chorus aloud, continuing my gentle motion of rocking back and forth. I didn’t at first notice all the attention back on me until Julie spoke up, ruining my peaceful vibe.  
“Is that Bon Jovi?”  
“Um, yeah.”  
“Oh cool! My mom was a big fan of them in the ’90s. My dad said she was crazy about their music. That’s pretty cool that you guys like them too.”  
“Yeah, it’s one of Bobbert’s favorites.” I thought this was the end of the conversation and tried to refocus my attention back on my sleeping boyfriend.  
“So,”  
Great.  
“Not to be rude or nosey, and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but-”  
Flynn cut her off, “What’s the deal with you guys? Are you guys like, together, or?”  
Everyone froze. We hadn’t discussed what all we were going to tell the girls if they ever asked. We hadn’t breached the topic of sexuality or what was okay or not okay society-wise in this new decade. People were so cruel when we were alive that we couldn’t tell anyone about us, we couldn’t even hold hands on the street, or walk too close without getting judgemental stares from disappointed peers and townsfolk. The three of us looked between each other, shaking with anxiety. I held Bobby closer to my chest, getting extremely defensive, “Why? Are you homophobic? Is that a problem for you?” I snarked. Luke gave me a look that screamed “WTF” and Alex looked petrified.   
“No-no-no-no! Not even a little bit, both of us are bi!” Julie panicked, “We were just curious, being annoying girls, ya know, wanting you guys to feel more comfortable, not pressured to hide anything, be yourselves.” She rambled on, relief flooded over us all. I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding.  
“He’s my baby. Been my baby since 1994.”  
I leaned down and kissed the top of his head, adjusting my hold on him. I didn’t like having to hide my relationship with him, it was difficult to resist the urge to just kiss or hold him whenever I wanted. To shower him with affection at any given moment. To censor our relationship with anybody felt wrong, even these two strange girls. I smiled at her, ignoring Flynn’s bluntness. This wasn’t what I had in mind for coming out, not at all it felt a bit forced, but at least it was done. The anxiety is gone. Kind of. All that mattered was that Bobby and I loved each other greatly and now two more people knew that. Flynn’s eyes softened and the air felt feathery, tension dissolving immensely. 

2020, HOLLYWOOD BUT LATER

An hour passed, the girls deciding to sleepover in the garage with us, when I felt another stir from my lap. I shushed everyone who didn’t even bother to disguise their harboring ganders. Bobby yawned and stretched out in my arms, not once opening his eyes. He curled back in on himself, making grabby arms for me. I heard a small choir of “Awe’s” but opted to ignore them in favor of providing my baby with attention. I waved my hand out of his potential view, and made, what I hoped, looked like the motion for water. I gave Bobby my left arm, letting him wrap his arm around it, the other one making its way around my waist. Julie returned with a refrigerated bottle of water, silently handing it to me before disappearing back behind him with the others. “Hey, love.”  
“Regg,” he whined and made kissy faces at me. I laughed, kissing him softly. I pulled away and he whined again causing me to let out another small chuckle, “Baby… ‘m- head hurts.” I frowned at this, pulling my arm from his hold and placing it to rub at his temples. He nestled his head into my circling fingers. “Want some water?”  
He shook his head, opening his eyes.  
“Too bad, up and drink.” I tugged him up with ease to not hurt him. He let out a pitiful groan, resting his head on my chest like a baby. I lifted the water bottle to his mouth. He kept drinking on it until about ⅓ of it was finished, then he pulled away, shaking his head.   
“Feel better?” He shrugged, closing his eyes again, relaxing on my lap, “‘M tired babe. Lay down with me?”  
I smiled at his sleepy voice, sounding how it did before he got this sick. Normally now when he spoke, and it wasn’t the lowered groggy, just-woke-up voice, it was higher than it once had been. In the book Alex and Luke had picked up and/or stolen from the library, it said that sometimes men’s voices changed when they were severely affected because of the drop in testosterone levels. It wasn’t bad to listen to, in fact, I had become accustomed to it but it didn’t mean I didn’t miss the old one as well. “Of course, love.” I checked the time, eyes widening at how late it had gotten, “It’s bedtime anyway. Do you want to say goodnight to everyone else?” I watched the fear and realization come into his eyes. “Who- is- are those girls here too?” He asked quietly, shaking ever so slightly. He huddled up, twisting himself into an almost camouflaged bundle of blankets in my lap.   
“It’s alright sweetpea, they know. And it’s okay.”   
The tension in his body deflated a tad as he rolled in my eyes, glancing at the room. Flynn and Luke both waved at him as Alex and Julie just offered him a kind, reassuring smile. His face turned beet-red, “I’m never dying this down, am I?”  
“Nope!”  
“‘Not a chance.”  
“You’re so adorable!”  
“Hey! Hey! I am not adorable. Nothing about me is adorable.” I watched as he tried to toughen up but his bed hair, tiny frame, and oversized clothing made it hard to take him seriously. I laughed, “Baby, you’re not intimidating right now. You look like a cute puppy looking for attention.” He pouted, crossing his arms and turning back to face me, hiding his own in the hood of my jacket that I was now wearing again.  
“I’m so glad I snapped some of these.” We both looked over at Alex, who was mischievously holding a few polaroids in hand, shuffling between them.   
“You took pictures!?”  
“Alex!” Bobby shrieked, trying to escape my hold on him in my lap.   
“Ayy, Nice one man!” Luke gave him a fist bump. The girls laughed along and then the boys joined Bobby and me on the couch, the girls blowing up an air mattress that they had brought out here. We all said our good-nights and I even let Bobby knock on Alex for a minute playfully. We all settled in and fell asleep soon after, exhausted from the day's events.

ALEX’S POV

I felt groggy but well rested like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders when I woke up the next morning. The four of us were cuddled up on the couch just like we did after a particularly draining day. I had anticipated more of an emotionally hungover vibe but instead was met with a coat of warmth and a secure sense of safety. I hugged whichever boy was in my arms, presuming it to be Luke. I opened my eyes to peak down, yep. The cuddle monster had indulged himself into the small space between myself and Bobby, who was curled up beside him, latched onto Reggie. I felt a light squeeze on my shoulder, the devil himself- Reggie, who had a bright smile that felt almost magnetic. What a sight, the two babies knocked out in between what we had become known as the parent friends. Reggie being the dad and myself, the mom. How was I the mom friend?   
“Such a mom,” Reggie whispered, teasingly.   
“Am not!”  
“Ya, you are mom,” Luke squirmed against me, waking Bobby up in the process, “And Reggie is daddy...or well, Bobby’s anyway.” I burst out laughing, watching as the blood pooled at their cheeks. Luke had a shit-eating grin on his face and Bobby slapped his back viciously until restrained, “L-luke! You can’t just-”  
“Lucas!”  
“Hey, we all knew it! I’m just simply stating it aloud.”  
“Yet there you were calling Alex the mom when we all know-”  
“Robert!” I called out, trying to stop the both of them in my embarrassment.  
“Boys! Both of you! Stop, oh my God. Lukey, just because we know things doesn’t mean we talk about it. Bobs, we don’t hit, even if they deserve it.”  
They both groaned and rolled their eyes.  
“Now, apologize.”  
“Dude, you’re being a total Dad right now.” I laughed out, “Let’s just drop it. Everybody got parental issues, this is nothing new, anyway, moving on.”   
We didn’t get out of bed until the girls climbed out of their sleeping bags on the mattress near us. They yawned, stretching their arms straight above their head. They looked surprised that we were all awake, but not that we weren’t out of bed. “Come on lazy bones, get up,” Flynn pestered, “We got a day full of events to accomplish.” I raised an eyebrow, was yesterday not enough for a few days? I felt physically fine but I wasn’t sure about Bobby, who normally didn’t do this much. Luke jumped out of my arms and onto the floor in front of the girls.   
“Where are we going? Park? Icecream? Concert? Oo- carnival?” He was jumping up and down in his spot, getting antsy.  
“Okay, pup, calm down.” I joked, getting a cocky smirk from Reggie who was pulling himself and Bobby into a sitting position. Luke ignored me though, attention entirely on Flynn and Julie, who decided to tease him. “You’ll see when we get there.” He frowned, not liking the answer, looking back at me for help. I shrugged, “You heard them. What the girls say goes. Uh, usually.” They gave him a smug look, locking his arms, and headed for the door. We’ll be back in an hour to get you guys so be ready. And with that, they walked out, leaving us all to wonder what exactly they had in mind. I got up and made my way to our collective bag of clothing, throwing on a lavender-colored tee with a light long sleeve over it. I untucked my small chain from my undershirt, throwing on some loose black capris and my walking shoes with striped socks. Good enough for a mystery day.  
I checked around the room to see how far along everyone else was. Luke was wearing his classic muscle-tee and black cuffed jeans, slipping on his basic black and white vans. Disappointed in the lack of color, I tossed him his orange beanie to match the slight accents on his shirt. He gave me his signature smile, yanking it over the uncombed mess on his head. Continuing my 360 spins, I noticed Reggie wearing a simple white t-shirt with a red and black flannel over it, blending with an easy pair of black skinny jeans. All normal things so far, the only strange thing was that Reggie was now crouching in front of Bobby, who was sitting at the end of the pullout, still in the previous day's clothes. He appeared to be having a staring contest with his lap, an outfit clutched in hand, avoiding Reggie’s green orbs. I took a step towards Luke, forcing him to shut up for a minute. He quit his playful dancing, joining me in my curious observation.   
“You know none of us are judging you, right love?” Reggie tried to no avail. Bobby didn’t respond, just continuing to intensely stare at himself, “As I said, we love you just how you are. You can change out here with us if you’re comfortable. And if not we can all look away or you can hide behind the bathroom door, but I want you to be okay with doing things like this around us.” Bobby just nodded at the floor, uncrossing his legs.  
“Will-um. Nevermind.”   
“No, no nevermind. What’s up gorgeous?”  
“Will you come with me? To-to change I mean. Not look, but just be there. I-I don’t like to do it alone, it’s really uh hard to stand myself for that long.” I felt my heart break just a little bit more than it already was. We all wanted him to see himself how we saw him, how Reggie saw him, ideally. It was obvious to any stranger that they looked at each other like there was no other in the world. Hell, to them there probably wasn’t most times.  
“Of course, sugar bear! Are you ready?”  
Bobby nodded, taking the hand Reggie extended down to him. They stood up. Luke and I quickly pretended to be occupied with doing other things, as if we weren’t just listening to their entire conversation. Reggie laughed, knowing what was up, “Hey guys, if the girls show, you guys can meet us outside, ‘Kay?” We nodded and they moved into the bathroom, a small click following them. Luke and I went to put the couch away silently and clean up at least some of the mess left over from last night. We had yet to talk about the comments from this morning about our past together, but I was too anxious to do it.   
Everything had ended fine between us, but when we stopped dating, we didn’t stop sleeping together, not until we died anyway. Even then, we hadn’t been dead long enough or given enough privacy for me to know if that was still to be an expected or assumed thing between the two of us. I wasn’t sure if he still wanted it, or if I, myself even did. The four of us were the only queer people we knew at the time that we actively spoke to and the other two were off the table and not in the particular taste of either of us. It hadn’t been something ever discussed, not even before we did it the first time post-breakup. It was a silent but unanimous decision to not ever speak of it, but amid the teasing earlier, that rule was broken and now the tension was back. I had, wrongfully, assumed that things like that died with us, wanted or not. That they were to be left behind with our physical bodies to be forgotten. But it wasn’t and it was, at least on my part, awkward.  
By the time all the blankets were folded and the room was mostly back to normal, there was knocking on the garage doors. Without much hesitation the girls strutted inside, Flynn looking upset at the lack of present ghosts. “Where’s the other half of your codependent relationship?” Flynn, again, smacked her shoulder, giving us a desperate and apologetic look. Luke scuffed at her. We were cool with her but her bluntness was the extent of toleration to the max.   
“Reggie requests that we all wait outside. They probably already know you’re here too.” With that, I shuffled everyone out the door, grabbing my fanny pack and tossing it over my shoulder. Once we got outside, I remembered that we hadn’t eaten breakfast, which meant that Bobby hadn’t tried to eat breakfast. Groaning, I turned to Luke, who had confusion written all over his face. He tilted his head to the side, trying to read me.  
“Breakfast.”  
“Oh. Oh.” He said, realization hitting his features. He slapped his palm into his hand, “Well crap, what do we do? Can’t exactly do that now.”  
“Wait, what’s going on?” Julie asked. Right, I had forgotten about them. They don’t know yet, not about this anyway. Kind of surprising when you think about it.   
“Oh! Um,” Luke jumped in, clearly trying to come up with something believable, “We uh- we forgot to grab something to eat! That’s all. Nothing’s wrong here.” I thumped him.   
“What he means to say, is that we would appreciate it if we could go to a very private quiet place to stop and grab a bite of food. Or wait a bit before we go.” They communicated with their eyes before looking at us suspiciously, “Okay. We’ll grab something on the way there- don't want to wait too much longer before going. Although I don’t know why you can’t just go inside and grab something from here.”  
Panic. Absolute panic.  
“Oh you know, it’s inside, we’re out here. Wouldn’t wanna, ya know, haha…” I trailed off anxiously. I straightened up, “Look, Reg and Bobbert are doing something important, inside.” I stated, emphasizing the word important, hoping they would understand. Luke looked back and forth at us, “Yeah-yeah and if they’re not done, it’d be super uncool of us to just barge in on them. It could. Hmm. It could ruin it.” They didn’t ask any more questions, instead just nodding along and going on their phones. Luke and I continued to look at each other and the concrete, unsure of what to say or do.  
Minutes later, out came the pair. Bobby was clutching onto Reggie’s hand as his life depended on it, not looking at Flynn or Julie. Reggie had his calming smile on, wearing it with pride, ignoring the adoring looks from the girls. I could see that they had a soft spot for Bobby and by extension, Reggie as well but not holding any punches back when it came to Luke and me. I took in Bobby’s appearance. He was wearing a pair of dark, baggy skinny jeans, Reggie’s burgundy hoodie that gave him big sweater paws, and one of my light blue jean jackets with the sleeves rolled up a bit. His dark hair was divided down the middle, flopping partially in his face. His right arm was wrapped around his middle self consciously. I looked up, my blue’s meeting his chocolate orbs. His bottom lip was swollen and he looked less shaky than he did before changing. He unwrapped his arm, giving me a slight wave, the material being thrown around on the ends. Stopping myself from squealing at the cute sight, I smiled back and tried to give a convincing cough. Luckily, it worked, and the girls took off down the path in front of us, again.   
We continued walking for about 15 minutes before stopping at a small diner. All of the flushes that had been there not even 5 minutes ago, left Bobby’s face as it went sheet white pale. Reggie leaned over, kissing the side of his head, giving his hand another squeeze. We all walked in, the girls ordering a small variety of tiny pastries and 6 water cups to go. The lady at the register seemed extremely concerned, only being able to see the two of them. We all sat around, waiting for the food to be ready while the girls ignored us, chatting and continuing to spend time on their phones. Luke was marveling at the pastries and other snacks that were on display along the top of the opposite counter while I watched his eyes light up in excitement as he took note of each one. On my other side, Bobby was hugging Reggie, leaning against him, face hidden away. Reggie was rubbing up and down his back, hand slipped in between the two top layers to get a firmer, more direct touch. This is how we stayed until the lady called Julie over to come to grab the bag of goodies. Once she had them, we all went outside, the four of us having to walk through it so it wouldn’t look like they were holding the door open for nobody. We walked away from the view sight of the front counter, off to the side. As everyone parted off at tables to give Reggie and Bobby privacy, I remembered that I had forgotten to use the restroom before we left because they were in it.  
“Hey, guys? I’ll be right back. Meet you back here in a few minutes.” Nobody questioned it, instead, the girls dragged Luke down to sit with them at their table.   
None of us had the chance to explore yet except for one time so this was my time to just walk around and see what was happening on Hollywood Boulevard nowadays. As I adventured, I took notice of all of the shenanigans happening around me. So many people had those tiny phones that the girls had and were taking pictures left and right. Straight ahead I saw one of my new worst nightmares. The guys who looked like the ghostbusters in Ghostbusters. Now, I didn’t know if those machines were real but then again before I died, I also wasn’t sure if ghosts were real. Fear overtook me  
“Oh God, I’m busted.” I started to back away slowly but they kept advancing closer and closer. “Oh God,” I ducked low, covering my head with my arms. I realized as they passed through that they were exactly how the other living humans were to me. Maybe they didn’t have super senses, after all, that or, they weren’t real. Freaky. I slowly stood up, “Ahem, hmph. Okay,” and I continued my walk. I took a deep breath, trying to calm all of my senses. All I had to do was find a bathroom and poof back to the bunch. I didn’t hear a lot of cars behind me, just what sounded like skateboards and pedestrian chatter. What sounded like a teenage boy shouting, “Beep beep! Haha! Comin’ through! Hey! Woah, nice hat! Cheese! Haha!” His voice crescendoed until it felt like he was right behind me.   
Then I was on my face.  
With a large weight on top of me.  
He rolled off and I heard the boy beside me, “Ah. Oh shi-Ugh. Argh.” He groaned as we both stood up, one more gracefully than the other. “Aw, Man! You dinged my board,” he complained, checking it out to make sure it was okay. ‘Excuse me?’ I thought.  
“I dinged your board? Dude, you ran me over! You’re lucky I didn’t-” I paused, “You-you-you ran me over. You’re-you’re a ghost?” He rolled his eyes and unclipped his cracked, grey helmet.  
“Hmm. Yeah. Ever since I learned the hard way that,” he shook the helmet off and threw his head down and back, his long, majestical brown hair flowing beautifully with it, “skating in traffic was bad.” He looked so nonchalant about the whole thing that it surprised me. I lost total and complete cognitive function and self-control for a minute due to him slowly tucking his shiny hair behind his ear and smiling at me. Recalling how to interact with others and composing myself, I shut my mouth and tried to come up with something to say. He was by far one of the prettiest boys I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I accidentally continued to stare at him, basking in his presence, thanking God for showing me this beautiful man. He shifted under my gaze, “Hey...Sorry, I-uh smashed into you. Thought you were a lifer, and I’d just pass right through.” I rocked back and forth on my heels, even more, confused about this whole ghost thing than before, “Uh, a lifer?”  
He appeared taken back for a second before giving me another warm smile. “Yeah, that’s uh the- what we call people. Who are...living. You’re new to this whole ghost thing, aren’t you?” Embarrassed, I laughed, nodding, “Ha, yeah. Is it that obvious?” He made a quick lookup, passing his eyes up and down sarcastically. “Totally,” we both laughed at the tension release, “Hey uh, I’m Willie.” He stuck his free hand out to shake mine.”  
“Oh! Alex.” I stuck my hand out after realizing I hadn’t done so. He bit his lip and gave me another smile, causing my heart to skip a beat and my face to turn red.  
“So uh, what brings you to Hollywood, man? You sightseeing? Picture with that uh, Marilyn girl?” He clicked his teeth, gesturing to her. I hadn’t even noticed her before despite her being in the direction that I had come.   
“Uh...yeah actually, I was having a minor afterlife crisis, so just trying to clear my head. Until you tried to crack it open.” I hoped I didn’t sound serious, I would do it again if it meant getting to continue to talk to this cute boy. He closed his eyes and laughed.  
He. Giggled.  
Straight up giggled.  
Oh. My. God. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. Honestly, I think I would kill to hear that again as well. How could one ghost be quite literally so perfect?  
“Haha! Yeah, I did pancake you, huh?”  
I licked my teeth and top lip silently, staring at him, taking in the wondrous model before me. He suddenly stiffened up a lot, standing up straight, his smile dropping immediately.   
“I’m sorry. So, a minor afterlife crisis?”  
I really would have preferred the giggling over that serious look. I already felt guilty for being the reason that it was gone, but I found myself still opening up to him when normally, I wouldn’t have. “Yeah, yeah I just keep- keep freaking out about everything, you know?” I paused, deciding to leave my band-mates business out of the conversation, “Shouldn’t we be in Heaven or something?”   
I thought back to all of the times I had attended church when they said that once you died, your soul would go to where it fits. If you were a pure, faithfully religious, sin-free man, you would go to pearly white gates and clouds that are Heaven to rest. But if you were sinful and disgusting, and- and gay, like me, then you would be set to burn in the eternal fire that was Hell for all of eternity. It struck fear in me, keeping me in the closet for years, trying to pretend that it wasn’t, that I wasn’t gay, and that I could like girls and go to church, and be a holy man. They had me convinced for so long that the ones like myself and many others were doomed and that the only way to save them, ourselves, was to beg for forgiveness in shame and force it away. That maybe then, God could forgive us.   
Eventually, though, I came to terms with my sexuality and realized that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t change myself. No-one could change me. No-one could change anyone, and it was time I stopped trying. If I was going to live on this Earth, I was going to live on it happily. I may be single and alone relationship-wise, but there would be someone out there who would love me and accept me, there had to be. Homosexuality was a very taboo topic, so it was often not discussed around the town unless it came up occasionally at the church sermon. That’s why I was so anxious about coming out to my band-mates because I didn’t know how they would react. We never talked about it, typically opting to avoid any serious conversations unless it brought on visibly strong emotions out of one of us.   
Coming out to the guys had been much more pleasant and relieving than it had been when I came out to my parents, despite both parties previously pledging me eternal love- only one followed through. All of the guys had been extremely supportive and proud of me for being comfortable enough with myself and them to tell them knowing the risks it came with. They promised not to tell anyone and even hugged me as I cried with relief on the floor until Luke decided it was a good time for celebratory ice cream. My parents, however, were not okay with it. At all. At first, they thought I was kidding, that I was pulling a cruel and minuscule prank on them. Then they told me it was a phase. That I would grow out of it. Then they tried to set me up with a few lovely church girls, none of which worked out. After about the 5th one, they gave up and chose to ignore my existence until I died. The only times they didn’t ignore me was when they preached to me that my lifestyle was a choice and that was now deemed for Hell unless I changed.   
I toned back in on Willie, having to force myself from losing my shit and drooling. He seemed to be thinking, looking up and to the side, kissing his teeth. What had we been talking about? Right ghost-life. “Who’s we?” He asked eventually, sounding disappointed. I panicked slightly, “Uh, me and my bandmates… We all died.” I tried not to sound too anxious but I was rocking back and forth on my heels, squeezing the inside of my pockets in my jacket. “Right. That’s tragic man, were you guys in some kind of accident or…?” His face softened a lot, easing my anxiety a tad. Our deaths were… odd? To say the least. “Yeah...you could- you could say that. We ate some bad hotdogs.”  
“Woah, no way!”  
“Yeah…”  
“Weirdly that is what happened to Mozart.”  
“Wow, that’s actually comforting.” He giggled and I smiled, all sarcasm was gone, “Hey do you mind if I ask you a couple more questions?”   
“It’s kind of your thing, isn’t it?” He raised his brows, smiling wider. He dropped his skateboard back on the ground. “Alright, you just gotta keep up.” With that, he jumped on it skating away through a crowd of people. I watched for a moment, his wavy hair flowing underneath his helmet behind him, moving with ease. Flustered, I yelled, “Hey! I- wait up!”

LUKE’S POV

We had been waiting on Alex for about 15 minutes before one of the girls decided to peer down the street to look for him. Bobby hadn’t made much progress on his half of the plain donut hole, but he and Reggie were working on it. With no intention of eavesdropping, I attempted to stay focused on Flynn across from me but it was difficult when all she did was stare and bluntly state her assumptions about us. I could hear Bobby quietly crying and protesting the food while Reggie tried to console him without giving in. It was hard hearing my best-friend like that, I couldn’t imagine how Reggie felt as that was his boyfriend. I desperately wanted to go over there and hug him but I knew realistically that that wasn’t a good idea. He needed space and the less crowded he felt, was most likely the better. We generally had been staying nearby when it was meal time but not too close, so that he felt our moral support but didn’t get overwhelmed by us. Toning him out, I focused my eyes back on Flynn’s brown ones staring right at my own.   
“Lucas.”  
“Flynn…?”  
“I want information.”  
“On…?” This felt like a test.  
“You boys. Your music. You.” So it is a test.  
“Um, okay. Ask away. I’m a pretty open book, don’t have many secrets.”  
“How do you feel about my girl Julie?”  
“Uh, she seems cool. Nice enough to let us stay at our own house so that’s cool.” She hummed, typing something onto her phone.  
“Do you like her?”  
What? “I’m sorry, what?”  
“I said, do you like her?”  
“I mean yeah, as I said, she seems cool enough. Wish rock out hours were longer though, ‘cause I mean, we sleep in pretty late nowadays.” She rolled her eyes at me.  
“What’s your last name?”  
“Uh, Patterson...why?”  
“Listen up, Patterson. I’m watching you.” She replied, ignoring my question. I was taken back, confused. Did I do something or was she like this to everyone one-on-one? Julie strolled back into the closed-off space with a super-wide smile. “Guys! Guess what!” We all looked up at her, her rubbing her hands together all excited like. Bobby was now cuddled up into Reggie’s side, who was holding him protectively, rubbing his neck and shoulders with one hand. “I saw Alex jogging down the sidewalk, yelling for somebody or something to wait on him. So either he’s lost it, or he made a friend!” That stung a bit.   
Don’t get me wrong, if he hasn’t gone crazy and he did make a friend, I’m happy for him. But, I don’t know, I had just assumed it would be the four of us doing those things together, staying with each other like we always had. A big fault of mine is that I get jealous easily. I love attention and I love physical affection from my boys. It already felt a little strange with Regbob being their little pair, but it hadn’t been so bad with me and Alex having each other. If Alex was going to start going off his new friend, then I really would be all alone. I don’t like feeling left out, in any way. I’m what all of my other old highschool peers call clingy. Which, eh, I don’t think so. I tried not to think about those possibilities and instead focused on what Julie was saying and what we are going to do today.   
“-and we can just meet him back at the house later when he’s done!”  
“Perfect! Cuddle bears, Patterson, let’s go.”  
We all got up, Regbob more hesitantly than I, and followed Flynn. I had no-one to walk next to seeing as Alex was not here so I decided to stick my nose into the girls’ business to give Bobby some time to calm down like he normally needed after eating with Reggie. “So where are we going?”  
“Didn’t I already tell you it was a surprise?”  
“Yeah, but then you should have just said nothing! ‘Cause now I can’t stop thinking about it! So guys, where are we going?” They rolled their eyes at me, “You’re insatiable, Luke.” I groaned, pretending to throw a mini tantrum like a toddler. I got a smile from Julie and a side-eye from Flynn but they continued walking, me struggling to catch up. I turned around and gave the couple behind me a sloppy smile, earning me a few chuckles. 

WILLIE’S POV

“Hilarious.” I giggled at him again, not meaning to. He was witty and sarcastic but for some reason, those two things were the most attractive to me right now and it had me laughing like a small school-girl from those old movies. I hoped he wasn’t too put off by my odd behavior, I liked him a lot despite us just meeting. As long as Caleb didn’t find out, I was solid.   
This lifer guy in a mascot costume sat down next to us on a bench, dropping his arm through Alex’s upper right thigh. Alex cringed, scoffing in confusion as the fuzzy suited man dropped his helmet off, revealing a 30+-year-old adult. “Wh-what?” I giggled again, it certainly was obvious that he wasn’t used to seeing these things. I scooted closer to him slowly, pretending to adjust my position on the skinny platform. I took in a deep nose breath, getting a whiff of his cologne- the smell of vanilla lingering around him. “So who’s this um, Julie?” I couldn’t lie, I was struggling to contain the small amount of jealous curiosity inside of me. She sounded so important to him but not in a way that was familiar to me. She didn’t quite sound familiar to him either, in a way, as if he knew her but not truly. It was obvious though that she mattered to him and I sincerely wished that it wasn’t in a way of romantic or sexual interest. I wanted to be selfish about this one.  
“Oh, she’s the girl that discovered us. Oh, did I mention she can see us? Do you understand my whole freaking out thing? She and that Flynn girl, it’s so, so weird.” He turned to me, completely missing the point behind my question, although now I had more. I was in complete and utter shock at his explanation, a lifer could see them. To be more specific, two lifers could see them. That shouldn’t be possible.  
“A lifer can see you?”  
“Yeah man, it gets crazier, alright, this morning, we were out walking and humming and I could have sworn somebody was looking dead at me. Like we were visible to them.”  
“Woah, I’ve never heard of that happening before. Maybe this Julie’s connected to your unfinished business.” He looked at me, mouth puckered slightly, nodding his head, “Mhm, yes, totally. I would completely agree if I had any idea what you were talking about.” I bit my tongue, holding back another laugh. I looked down at my lap, doing my best not to blush or burst into another fit of giggles. This boy was so cute and so funny, and it wasn’t fair on an entirely new level. How am I to compete or even please an entity of that, well, that?  
“Um, unfinished business- it’s why people become ghosts when they die. You know? There’s still something they need to accomplish and once they complete it, they can cross over.” I clicked my tongue at the dreadful information. I had no idea what my own was, but frankly, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know. He looked a tad overwhelmed by all of the information I just fed him. He leaned away from me, sucking on his front teeth, “Okay, so how do we figure out what our unfinished business is?” Of course, he would want to know, most ghosts don’t want to stay here and they get theirs handled as soon as they can, trying nothing short of everything to discover what it may be. It almost felt useless to try to get to know him if he was just going to turn around and move back to Heaven, where he came from. I shrugged at him, deciding on honesty, “I don’t know, you know? Some ghosts never do, I still haven’t. But, you know, I’m not too worried about it. Because being a ghost lets me do my favorite thing- skate anywhere I want, without getting busted. I mean bro when I’m not skating here or the beach, I’m skating Justin Beiber’s empty pool.” Biting my lip to conceal anymore ramble about skating, he smiled at me, causing me to melt into a puddle of adoration and feelings before him.   
“Wow, who’s that?” He whispered at me. I completely forgot he came straight here from the ‘90s. Here is 2020, the older styles were coming back again and he blended in with a good portion of lifers that were around our age.  
“You seriously have so much to catch up on, bro, dang!” I slapped his chest, giggling all over again. How embarrassing. I noticed that the sun was setting lower into the sky. Trying to avoid any trouble with Caleb, I hesitantly decided it was time to go back. “Alright, I’ll catch you later, hotdog.” And with that I jumped up from my spot, throwing my board down onto the ground. I jumped onto it, pushing off in the direction of the HGC. From behind me, I hear a growing faint shout, “I really don’t like that nickname, it’s how I died!” I giggled some more before poofing the rest of the way there to assure my punctuality record stayed intact. I could not afford to disappoint Caleb, not tonight.

2020, HOLLYWOOD GHOST CLUB WARP

I poofed in with just enough seconds to put away the board and change into my rehearsal bottoms and shoes. Tossing my helmet I poofed my way into the practice room where the rest of my co-stars were, who all also had dreadful looks on their faces. There were a few that you could notice a significant amount of reduction to, where Caleb had rid them so much from themselves that nothing like self-control or freedom seemed to matter to them as much as it did, his pets such as myself. Moments later, the man himself appeared. He had never been outright vicious to me, but I had heard the nightmares and legends about what he did to others. To me, he was like the father figure I never had. He told me when I could leave or when I couldn’t, who I could talk to and who I couldn’t, where I was to be, and where I wasn’t. All things that typical living fathers told their teenage sons who just wanted to rebel and have a sense of freedom rather than normalcy. To me, Caleb gave me both. When he first found me, mere days after I died, I was alone. Petrified. I didn’t know what was going on or hardly even what had happened to me, but he found me, told me we were connected and that that was how he found me. He explained to me the imagery of the greater demons out there that would get me if I didn’t go with him. He told me how he could save me from it all, stamp me to make me invisible to the worsening conditions of my new world. And he did. All he asked for in return was loyalty and my willingness to obey his every rule. It sounded intimidating at first, but there I was, broken and alone, and there he was, a man of great power offering me a home, some freedom, and protection. He was my saving grace.   
As time went on, however, I noticed some particularly strange behavior and started to pick up on the patterns in the rumors that went around the club and the ghost world. When I mentioned them in passing to him, he grew concerned and made a massive cut in my range of places and times I could go and be at any given day. I chalked it up to him wanting to keep me safe from the ongoing war between sides that he had made me believe was going on. I had never seen the evil that was the other side, and I honestly never wanted to. There weren't many things I was scared of but an angry Caleb and that evil side made me quiver in fear. It was fine until I had to participate in these God-awful timeless rehearsals every day. I loved watching his shows, I was his number one fan! But being in them just wasn’t the same. It was like the side of him I was never meant to see was being unveiled as the days went on.   
Caleb was mad.   
Dear Lord, Caleb was mad.  
Thankfully his anger wasn’t directed at me, but it was present and he was taking it out on us. Any wrong move and he would yell bloody murder and make his powerful magic poses us into doing it properly. It had been the same routine for months, traveling the world with it to show all of the other lifers who signed away their souls for a stamp of his protection. Normally time passed in the blink of an eye, a simple hour turning into four, but today, 4 minutes felt like a hundred hours. And for all I knew, it was. The tricky thing about being in the HGC was that all sense of time was demolished. Caleb explained once to me that it was because we had eternity and there was no reason to rush memories and moments like this, but right now, I wanted more than anything to rush it away so I could try to sleep. Or just sit down. Or get some water.   
From somewhere behind me I heard him yelling, and then what sounded like a chorus of bones snapping. I looked in that direction to see one of the newer dancers lying on the ground, looking even more dead than before. Their body was suddenly poofed away and I felt myself start to run the number from the top. No control. I sighed and gave in, it only hurt to fight it, plus, he would know. He always knew. What felt like days later, we stopped. All suddenly collapsing to the floor as he released us.   
“Begone. I expect better performances from everyone tomorrow, or there will be a price to pay.”  
I shivered in fear, him vanishing before us. I let out a breath of relief and dropped my head to the floor. There were no words to describe the pain and soreness in my body or the ache I felt in my core. Each day, I felt less and less connected to Caleb, like I didn’t know him at all. But he was still perfect to me, even in his twisted punishments.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! It has again, been an unintentionally intentional week. Very hectic IRL but here we are, nose-dived into some new plot points. I thought about ending the series, and I might still, haven't decided. There is more I'd like to do with it, but I also really want to work on other projects that aren't Ghost Quartet related. I've technically started the fifth one already but I don't know how far I want to go with it. I've been considering writing more one-shots or some multi-chapter/none series pieces that have way more graphic detail, I'm just nervous about how it will be perceived. Thank you for all the growing love on the stories, too btw, it really does mean a lot. What isn't exactly cannon in the show, is or well, mostly was, a large part of my reality. A lot of things that I wrote about happened in my life when I wasn't coping with somethings in the most healthy manner. Writing this has been surprisingly therapeutic for me as far as some aspects are concerned. Well, this is all for now. Have a wonderful day/evening/night, and I'll try to post soon!


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